Method of making chain-links.



F. G. BREUL.

METHOD OF MQ-KING CHAIN LINKS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17. my

1,084,250, Patented Jan. 13. 1914.

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WITNESSES: W mg "UN1T osTAtrnsr nNtr OFFICE.

FREDERICK G. BREUL, 0F BBIDGEPORT, 'GORNECDIGUE,

METHOIl) OF MAKING'GHAIN-LEINKS.

Application filed May 1'7,

To all whom it may concern Be it known-that I, FREDERXOK G. Elli-DEL, acitizen of the United States, residing Brid 'e ort in'the count ofFsirfiel and b v 1 y State of Connecticut, nave invented as disclosedand described in the. annexed drawings and specification.

My invention relates to the mauni' of electrically welded chain linksand l its object the proper shaping and to of such links for thepurposeof uniting t overlapping wire ends thereof by welding; themelectrically. At the present time the electric siding of chain links isaccornpii bed by butt welding, the wire ends being brought into line andforced together lengthwise w electric current acts on and heats them;

The welding by electricity of chain with overlapping ends hes not beenso. ful so for on account of the absolute rigio. of the chain links, theweldin process fectin hczttin and reducin onl the overlapping wire ends,but being unable change the direction of the still w i 4 tions bent awayfrom the proper p the link so as to overlap the ends, This circumstanceresults in a misfornied link, welded portion lying in a diiierent linetiion the twon-djoiniin link portions originally bent to passeach otherin a parallel. direction and still retaining that direction. As

a rule, moreover, only a partial or defective 36 weld can be obtained,because the operative faces of the electrodes, if of large size, willeither burn the metal in the wire portions ad oining the 'overlapplngends, or will be prevented'by the said adjoining link por- 'tions tofollow up and compress the molten metal in the ends and this will resultin a blowout, or hole in place of the weld Another difiiculty -presentsitself in the disposition 'ofthe surplus molten metal forced off duringthe welding process and forming irregular protuberance s or fsshes onboth sides of the wire. By the new method herein; de- Y scribed I haveovercome al-l'these defects a'nd obtain thoroughly serviceable links forrapidly andfliennply connecting or constructmg lengths of chain, thewelding process being reliableand so simple as to be correctly andalmost instantly performed by an inexperienced person.

Figure 1, of the drawings 1 ep'resents finished straight linkaccordingvto my Specification. of Letters @aten't.

Entented 3311,13, 191* 1913 Scrial'No. 763,l2-9".'

7 k {F q ,s method, and Fig. {E8166 view tnereof. In shown t plain Viewin Fig. i:

' illik as shaped. by 'form-" he l: appears fining such v end VlE'Wrepresents an. end View or" "d and ready for w links a ll, and 5,

application are i) end 13.

p 3, n straightof side shank or just sniilcient f I. I. M r oi snotneilinno .nl: 65, which. from. shank .ly the some W- shsnlts an 1 ilt i3"flattened so inner feces oi t 0: ct portions will lie in center line ofis ii The wire ends are preferably slight tered, as at o. The link maynow nectedto an attachm nt along s... c and shank a, through spaces gand finally remain in the part of the eye in by how i), and anotherlinl:they dnced, tol -remain on boWc. Shani; e bent inwardly until thetwooi'lset o s ineetsnd rest upon each other, l t -ated by dotted lines3 Fig. 3. Together the two shanks (Z and e arethen broughtstill moreinward, to further reduce the width 'ofspace'f, and thereby a partitionof the. link eye is formed, confining themtached links to oppositelink'cnds and pre venting possible entanglement. Before ceeding with thedescription of this i ma fl". hy theol'isetting die is present as well 1when brought togetherendwise; in the plane .of the bows, will form aclosed link according to Fig. 'i', and the lateral position of theofi'sets'a-nd shanks in such a closed link illustrated in Fig. v Suchtwisted links may also be first formed as represent-ed in Fig. 8, anopening r]-heing left between the inner faces at We otlset portions Zand it. A preyionsly torn' ed link or anattachmentzhai'ing' been intrwdncechthese 'ofi'setportions are forced together laterally by pressureon their ontsides and-a closedv link will be formed like Fig. 7,theend'yiew thereof being like liig.

9 having theend bows b and 0 in line and the nner faces of thefloil'setsllning with the center line of the bows. The wire ends may hechaint'eind, see 0, Fig. 8, or shaped othei i wise. The smallii'npressn'in 4). near the on the outside (it how Wand of nosignificance. It will be observed that the oilset 7 wire end portions donotcontinuoiisly overlap'each other, but cross outwardly in the ease oi.the twisted link and inwardly to coinpl'ete the formation atthestraightlink,asalready referred" to. lthongh only small portions ofthe wire ends extend past the'c'i'oss ing. contac't,; it-is obvious thatthe greater part of the joints torneedby the wire o'llsets isdisposedjoi twardly for. the twisted link, and inwardly in the straightlink.

lllie'welding opcratioi'i is performed by a spot electricwielding lili1l]lll0,tl10 electrodes lf C'lllQ-lllC usual-plain copper rods, in

which; however the front halves of the. 0p-

erativc fares are. reduced so that a wedge -shaped s a'ce, enlargingoutwardly front the id middle line will he between them, as theyapproacheachother.

aetly- 'alike, are used .tor welding the straight lin k and a side Viewof their operatire ends is shown by I. in, Fig". 11. and. a.

lace yiew' oi them in Fig. 12. .The rear parts ot. these electrodes arecutaway. as shown, .to allow space tor the side bar a .of the link,wl'iich'bar should not be acted on bytheciirrentf A central sectionalview- -ot thewelded' link denoted lei/2 isshown in-FigQll in theposition the welding opera.

tron is done 1 represents the welded por tion tl'iereot.

In Fig. 13 the operativeendsi see/ and t. ot the two electrodes Used forwelding the twisted links are shown a central sectional view of a weldedjointr/ including a por-- tion of such a link, 5, hcing' situatedbetween thein, in the position it was weldbd. The troiit-s o'l theseelectrode -faces are oh-aintered .ott some-tie allow toi the sweep ofthe twisted shanks. i

Fonthepurpose o-tweldiug these links,

they are, either. kind shown, placed. ;on' the lower electrode so thattheextreme wire ends Two electrodes eX- imaginary middle line of suchelectrode.

the upper.electrode advances, these wireends and adjoining portions ofthe ot'l'scts 9-, an end View thereof. g

will receive the tirst'and hardest; pressure o l the electrodes they-arcthereby heated tirst and afterward to the highest and nrltin; degree.Just as the meltingand welding proceeds, and the double layer of wire inhe outer portions of the ollsets is being reduced to and partly beyondihesize ot the wire diameter, the pressure of the eontin'nously'tltl'Vtllitilllg upper electrmle l'ori'es the melted metal lurtlieroutward and terms \'t.l(ll1lQ- f lar full lines in l l iplthult? theoutlines ot' flat plat-eon"- on bow c is merely a mark special use;

noticeable line of union of the wire ends.

As. the metal on the reverse or inner side of the crossing end portionsis' only acted on by the electrodes at the close ot the opera-- tion, itnever. melts. is, only made just hot The dotted lines in Fig.

enough to be pressed into the desired shape.

and practically no. fluid metal can emerge from and be depositediil-tlllS direction.

Thereafter the links arctuinhled in sand or gravel and then in sawdust,rounding off. and snioothening the -welds. If desired,. these weldedjoints may receive more roumh ed or oval shapes, hy'having a. portion,of

somewhat less than halt" the depth of such special shapes sunk into theelectrode laces and guide plates or guide pins held byanonconductingplatefisecured to the lower elcctrode may then beemployedfor giving the proper position to the links It :is apparent from theforegoinsr, that by this novel method only the heating", weldingandconipressing' ot' a short doulile layer of metal-is required andreadily accomplished by the electrodes and welding current and nothingcan ohstruct'the advancement of the electrodes until they have coin'ileted their work and have reduced the double layer of wire in theoitlsets to a perfect welded jointof the same thickness of and in linewith the united link end portions. It is obvious that flat, oval orsquare links. or ringsmay he formed and united on this principle, the

wire ends being ofl set,v and made to cross each other, pointing eitherway, to' the outside or inside and welded as described, just as may bepreferable. for their general or Having; thus (lQSCllbC-Il method, itsapplication and :ulv claim,

1, The method of making :i

consisting in offsetting anal cit-wing; i of the wire fornnng the link,and suu ectin the crossed ends a luterul electric ivelilii process, bywhich the extreme wire owls ceive the most and highest welding heat, themelted metal being compressed into :1 il extending in the direction ofthe plane 0' crossing ends.

The herein described methoii of joiniiv the ends of a wire link, andconsisting in setting the wireend portions one lizll'f t1 approximatelyone wire diameter, the g:

7 Method of Hlfllilllg' welded chain.

*( 2151s in shaping a link of wire. {m

)nsclt-ing' all thereof with- "uct laterally outward, the inner ACQS 6;"these olfsei's lining with the cenc line 055 the adjoining link portionsand "nally \vel' mg tog-steer the double layer 35 wire in the crossingby electric current and lateral pressure through electrodes eeiplied toand welrl the weld-ail on n'iineiitly heat, melt, compress the extremevire ends; bringing joint in line with both nojoinin 40 portions and thesuperfluous meltea n etel into the direction of the plane of the ngenrls.

FREDERICY G. BREUL.

